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Coverage of Hurricane Isaac's Approach to the Gulf Coast; New Orleans Mayor Speaks On Storm; Ann Romney RNC Speech Tonight; Isaac Nears on Katrina Anniversary; Obama Declares Emergency in Mississippi; Gulf Coast Braces for Isaac; Isaac Upgraded to Cat-1 Hurricane; Romney Says Will Repeal Obama-care; Ann Romney, Chris Christie to Give Key Speeches

Aired August 28, 2012 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

You're looking at the latest satellite image of what is now Hurricane Isaac, expected to make landfall as a Category 1 storm tonight in Louisiana. People along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana are doing what they can to get ready for this storm. We're expecting to hear any minute now from New Orleans mayor. We're going to take that live as a matter of fact.

Isaac is intensifying as hurricane strength just within the last hour or so. President Obama says response teams, supplies are ready to move in when the storm hits. He spoke at a White House meeting this morning directly addressing those who are expected to be in the path of that storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to encourage all residents of the Gulf Coast to listen to your local officials and follow their directions. Including if they tell you to evacuate. We're dealing with a big storm, and there could be significant flooding and other damage across a large area. Now is not the time to tempt fate. Now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take this seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEUAX: I want to bring in Jennifer Delgado, who's tracking Isaac. And there are a couple developments. First of all, the path of Isaac. But also I understand you have new information about possible tornadoes.

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. This is because of Hurricane Isaac. We're going to start out now, Suzanne, I want to let people know we do have a tornado warning in place. As we walk over to our graphic here. This is going to be until 12:15 local time. Of course, that's Central time. So, we still have a little ways to go. As I show you on our radar, I will make it big for you, this is the area we're talking about. The areas under this tornado warning includes the St. Tammany Parish, as well as the cities of Slidell, as well as Eden's Isle and southwestern Hancock County.

Now, here's the area. See the pink shading? This is our tornado warning area. We're going to look at a potential for this thunderstorm, of course, to produce a tornado. So, if you're in this region, certainly make sure you get to the lowest level of your home and seek shelter. Again, this is the cell we're talking about. You can still see for yourself right in that very southern part of Louisiana.

And again, as I play this for you, make it a little bit bigger, we do have overall -- technical malfunction right now. Hopefully we'll be able to pull up radar a little later on. But we do have a tornado watch in place for really a good part of the southeastern part of Louisiana over toward the Florida Panhandle. Here is Hurricane Isaac. Maximum winds 75 miles per hour, with gusts up to 85. The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory just last hour ago, roughly about 12:15, to let everyone know this is a Category 1, the winds at 75.

Now, we track this for you and the big concern is it's going to be moving very slowly. And as it does move slowly, we're talking about the threat for the heavy rainfall is going to be even greater. As we go through Tuesday evening, notice still in the very southern part, and we're expecting it to make landfall. Looks like late tonight into tomorrow morning as a Category 1. But notice this is 8:00 a.m. It's still moving through parts of Louisiana. There's New Orleans.

And as we go through really the next 48 hours the storm system is going to be moving quite slowly. Weakens into a tropical storm. Looks like eventually that moisture will be working into areas, including the Midwest bringing some beneficial rainfall. As I mentioned to you, on the radar right now, we do have a tornado watch in place anywhere you're seeing in red. As the day goes on, we're going to continue to see more of those storms developing.

If you look right here, also start to see some of that lightning pop up. Yes, that's an indication of a strong storm developing. Now, as I continue to play on with this, we talk about some of the rainfall totals.

Now, Suzanne, we're worried about potential for inland flooding. Some of these regions could be looking at rainfall totals up to 18 inches. What you're looking at in white, that's 10 or more. As I said, we could certainly see more than that. Then we factor in the storm surge. When some of these locations could see waves up to seven to 11 feet above land. So, that is certainly our big concern there. The storm surge, heavy rainfall, now Category 1 and now the tornado warning. That threat. That lasts until 12:15 local time, that's Central time.

MALVEUAX: All right. Jennifer, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

The president of Plaquemines Parish says most people listened to his warning to get out. They have evacuated. Billy Nungesser, he is with us now on the phone. First of all, thanks for joining us. I know you're very busy, that your time is valuable here. You say that folks inside the parish, your parish is outside the levee system, folks have evacuated. What is your biggest concern right now?

BILLY NUNGESSER, PRESIDENT OF PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LA (on the phone): Well, our biggest concern is still those levees that are not in the federal system, and we're trying to make sure that we keep the water behind those levees. As this storm comes ashore and brings that storm surge, we have the potential of those levees being topped.

With the new federal protection, the federal government has given the New Orleans area and the surrounding parishes, we were able to keep the people that we have in shelters here in the north end of the parish. Usually we bus them three or four hours away. So, that has been a good thing that we don't have to take them so far from home. But we're still concerned about those levees that are not in the federal system at this time.

MALVEAUX: If you are a resident of that area and you are in Plaquemines Parish and you're not able to get out, what should you do?

NUNGESSER: Well, you should stay in place. The weather's getting pretty bad here. The wind and the rain has really kicked up. It's not safe to be out on the roads. We're talking now about putting a curfew in at dark for the areas that we didn't evacuate just to keep people off the highways. The wind, you know -- Plaquemines Parish sticks out in the Gulf about 60 miles. It's that finger that sticks out in the Gulf. So we get it a lot worse than the metropolitan New Orleans area. It's really getting kind of nasty down here now.

MALVEAUX: What does it look like? Tell me, paint a picture.

NUNGESSER: Well, the wind, you can barely open your eyes in the south. The wind is blowing quite hard. We've clocked some winds in excess of 50 miles an hour. And the rain is blowing sideways. So it makes it very difficult to see when you're outside. There is some light debris blowing across the highway. And we anticipate it continue to get worse late into tonight.

MALVEAUX: Have you had to do any rescues so far? Have you actually seen people out on the streets?

NUNGESSER: We have seen some people out in the street, and, you know, where the Corps is now closing off the 100-year protection, we're building a ramp over those flood baskets they're putting in place. We're actually out there working now so we have emergency access to south end of the parish in the event we have to get someone that did decide to stay.

MALVEAUX: One of the problems with earlier storms, including Katrina, was really the lack of communication. People not being able to reach out to each other and to call out, to cry out for help. Do you feel like you've addressed that problem? Are people able to communicate if they have an emergency? NUNGESSER: Absolutely. We now have a reverse 911. The Web site, the satellites, satellite phones, and the rescue equipment. We've got air boats and port authority boats sitting here at our headquarters in the event we would have to rescue someone or to go out and flood fight to try to save a community from flooding. We actually go out there the storm and try to sandbag those areas if we have levees that give way or in danger of being over-topped.

So, we have a lot more equipment. We're a lot better prepared and the communication, not only in this parish, but the mayor of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish and all the surrounding parishes, we communicate on a daily basis, and we're there to assist with equipment, sandbags, or anything they may need in the event there's an issue in one parish that we can assist them in.

MALVEAUX: All right. Billy Nungesser, thank you very much. Appreciate your time and your attention. Of course, wish everybody the best in getting through this hurricane.

One of the places that is really going to be a problem here, this is the outer bands of tropical storm Isaac hitting Grand Isle, Louisiana. That is happening right now. You can see there, the map. There's a mandatory evacuation order that is in place, in effect there.

Just about everybody in the small community has essentially packed up and left, at least according to our own Ed Lavendera there braving the storm. Ed, how many folks are still there? The weather kind of comes and goes. What are people dealing with now?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the people that are left here on the island, Suzanne, what we've seen, making last- minute runs to try to get any kind of food, gas cans filled up, whatever they feel they might need. But there are very few people left.

This is an island, Grand Isle, which is about seven miles long, about a half-mile wide at its widest point. And this is really the end of the road when you come south out of New Orleans and you get down to the Gulf of Mexico, there's nothing left after this. You know, the Gulf of Mexico is right out there over these homes that you see here.

We're a decent ways in from the levee that protects the beach here. Hurricane Isaac is out in that direction. So, that's where our attention is focused. But interestingly enough, the wind throughout most of the day has been coming out of the north, so it's actually the water out of the bay that had been kind of slightly surging into the backside of this island. That's minimal effort - or minimal issue at this point. But this storm and where we are right now, really, we expect to be at the center of Hurricane Isaac as it gets closer to making landfall here in the hours ahead today.

So, the storm surge is what officials here are very concerned about. Back in 2008 when Hurricane Gustav came through here, all this area that you see behind me had about three feet of water that had surged into here, and actually got into the home where we'll be riding out this storm. So, they anticipate that it hopefully will not be that bad, but that is something they're going to be looking out for.

Normally 1,500 residents on this island. That is now down to about 30, we're told by the mayor. And many of those people are emergency officials that are riding out the storm at a command post just a few blocks away from where we are. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: And Ed, describe this for us if you will. I know you said about 30 people are staying there and at least there are several different stories to those structures. Are you on a second story structure? How is it that you're actually going to be protected from some of the elements?

LAVANDERA: Yes, let me see if I can give you the best perspective possible here. Behind me here is Dean Blanchard's home. He's the shrimp king here in Grand Isle. Has a huge shrimping operation he does. This is inside the home we've set up most of our gear. He tells us this home has been extremely well fortified over the years back since Hurricane Katrina, and he's continued to upgrade it. So, he has no concern. In fact, the mayor and several other city officials here came by a little while ago and said, you know, this is one of the best places to be on this island. So, we feel well fortified.

If you look over here, we're on the second floor of the home here, we're probably 15 feet up off the ground. What's interesting here, back in 2008 when Ali Velshi rode out the storm here, Hurricane Gustav, this carport, this cover leading into the car garage, all of this was ripped off by the winds. Hopefully we won't see that happen, but that is something we'll be keeping our eyes on.

But outside of that, you know, we're relatively well protected here, and this structure is extremely solid. In fact, several neighbors have come by and kind of jokingly said you're in the best place in town here, this is the safest place to be. So, we feel confident. It's always nice to hear that from the locals who spend a great deal of time here.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, good. We're glad you're in the safest place in town.

We're actually going to go to the mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, who is carrying a press conference live talking about storm prep. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE COVERAGE OF PRESSER - JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MITCH LANDRIEU, MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: -- each storm is different. Isaac is different from everything we've seen before because it's going to slowly. When a storm of this magnitude travels that slowly, it poses its own risks which we will talk about in-depth. We can expect 10 to 16 inches of rain. And some areas will be higher.

So let me just indicate to you guys, do not let this storm lull you into complacency. That would be a terrible mistake. We have dodged a bullet in the sense that this is not a Category 3 storm, but a Category 1. At this strength, from 85 to 100-mile-an-hour winds with 125 miles an hour gusts is plenty big enough to put a big hurt on you if you fall into complacency. So let's not do that.

I would ask you, however, not to panic but to remain calm and to remain vigilant. We have for a long time planned for this. The individual citizens in this city have done an excellent job of getting a plan together. Those citizens that intended to evacuate have done so. Those of you that have decided to shelter in place have done that as well.

In my travels across the city, starting very, very early this morning and all around the city, it appears as though the citizens are heeding our warning and are doing a really good job of having boarding up their residence and/or not going out unless they absolutely have to. I would ask you to continue to follow that rule.

I am somewhat dismayed there are a number of people right now out on Lake Shore Drive trying to experience what a lot of heavy water feels like. If you get pulled into it, you won't like that feeling. And so I would ask you to rethink where you are. I can understand that because Isaac has taken such a long time to form that people may be getting bored. It's better to be bored than to get hurt. So I would ask you, again to, you know, take your time and think about what it is that you're doing before you put you or your family in harm's way.

One of the great examples of our plan being in place and being executed flawlessly took place a little while ago. Colonel Fleming who is with us today, Colonel -- there you are -- and I had the opportunity to close what I affectionately call "the great wall." For the people of the city, there is a great sense of security that is now in place. The American people, with the citizens in New Orleans included, financed a $1.1 billion investment that is the largest civil project that has ever taken place in the United States of America. It was completed in a year. It is a wall that is 1.8 miles long. It is 26 feet high. It is 13 miles from downtown New Orleans and it is protecting New Orleans east and the lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish. That has never been done in America before. And that wall is now up. We closed the gate this morning at about 10:30 or 11:00. And so that part of the city is secure from a tidal surge that was similar to the one that came during Katrina. So I want to thank Colonel Fleming for that.

We also closed the Orleans Avenue Outfall Canal last night. We expect that the 17th Street Canal and the London Avenue Canal will close when the appropriate triggers take place. And the colonel can address that issue when he comes up to talk a little bit more about their work. But I want to thank the Corps of Engineers.

On top of that, as you know, that wall is part of a levee system that we have reinvested in. $10 billion of investment has gone into building a category three strength levee system that's 300 miles and is very robust at this point in time. We are not expecting, as a consequence of that, a Katrina-like event. That is not to say, however, that we will not have flooding in the city of New Orleans. From anybody who's lived here a long time, if there's a large amount of water that falls in a short period of time, parts of this city are going to flood and parts of all of south Louisiana as well. So we are not out of the woods on a water event or electrical event.

I would say that the best path to a quick response, the best way to a quick recovery, is the cooperation of the citizens. The citizens have to be prepared for significant rain, wind and electrical events. So I'm going to ask you to hunker down, as we have all agreed to do, if that was your plan. Now is the time in the next 24 to 36 hours to do that.

Also, as I drive around, I do see some debris. Folks have put stuff outside. Go pick it up and bring it inside. If you have any loose items that might appear a little bit heavy to you, not very heavy to 125-mile-an-hour winds. So if you have a table outside in your yard with wrought iron chairs, put them someplace where the wind can't get them because we will have -- that unsecured debris will also get flown around. So I ask you to pay particular attention to that.

As I said yesterday, we are allowed to park on the neutral ground. But do me a favor and don't knock down any trees if you can help it. And be courteous of your neighbors as well. Do not -- do not, let me repeat, park on bridges and/or overpasses. They need to be passable.

I'm going to urge you, again, to check on neighbors, particularly our elderly residents who may be shut in and a little bit afraid and need some help. And, again, out of the abundance of caution, and forgive me for being so forward about this, but I want to be explicit. There are things about category one storms and two storms that will kill you or hurt you very badly. So let me walk through these again because I don't want to be standing here in a couple of days mourning the loss that was avoidable.

Driving and walking through standing water near canals and/or overpasses and even on streets, because manhole covers that might come -- is a very dangerous activity and can cause drowning. Flying debris during the storm. When the winds hit 40, 50 miles an hour, things start flying. And it is very, very dangerous and there have been many examples in category one storms and category two storms of there being deaths as a result of people hit by flying debris. The same thing is true of fallen trees and of downed power lines. You've heard the stories of "there but for the grace of God go I" and how is it possible that that person and that tree met at that moment in time? It has happened, unfortunately, too many times. So I'd ask you to be vigilant about that.

And, of course, the improper use of generator and candles can be particularly problematic and I'm sure there are hundreds of other things that we have done over time that has been careless that has caused a problem. So, again, just using common sense and vigilance is really important.

We know that streets in the city of New Orleans are prone to flooding. This should not be a surprise to anybody. Any time there is a hard rain that comes in a very short period of time, we have a lot of streets that flood and everybody knows where they are. But if you want to see a list of them and think that you're in that area, go to ready.nola.gov.

Now, at the risk of being excruciatingly detailed, I'm going to read the list to you so that everybody has a good sense of where they are. Calliope and (INAUDIBLE) on ramps. The I-10 and Tulane exits toward Claiborne Avenue. Airline and Tulane Avenue intersection. The 4400 block of Washington. Washington Avenue near Xavier. Claiborne at Orleans. South Carrollton at Palmetto. Magazine at St. Mary. Broad at Louisiana and Claiborne. State Street and Claiborne. Josephine and Prytania. Earhart at Jeff Davis-Carrollton. The 500 block of Lake Marina. Canal Boulevard at I-10 and Navarre. City Park at Carrollton. Washington Avenue at Xavier -

(END LIVE COVERAGE OF PRESSER)

MALVEAUX: You're listening to the mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, talking about things, he says, warning residents that could kill you from a category one hurricane, including flying debris, standing on manhole covers, fallen power lines and, of course, saying that there are streets that are prone to flooding. He's actually listing those streets now. But he says you can also go to the website, ready.nola.gov.

We're going to follow all things on this category one Hurricane Isaac. This is also what we're working on for this hour.

People along the Gulf Coast are preparing for a storm surge tonight. We'll take a look at how folks in Mississippi have rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

Today, delegates will formally nominate Mitt Romney for president at the Republican National Convention. We'll look at what his wife, Ann, has to do to help win over female voters when she takes the podium tonight.

And, prosecutors say a group of soldiers hatched a plot to overthrow the U.S. government. We'll tell you how that alleged plot was discovered.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Isaac may now be a hurricane, but it was moved away from Tampa. That means the Republican National Convention gets starred today. Gets rolling on. Mitt Romney is on the ground in Tampa. Both Romney and his wife, Ann, arrived within the last couple hours. You see them there. One of the first high-profile events that we're going to see is Ann Romney's speech. That is in primetime tonight. There you see, about an hour ago, preparing at the convention center there, checking everything out. The speech was originally scheduled for last night, but that was moved when the main networks refused to carry Monday night primetime coverage. Many people are expecting her to add more of a human and a family side to Mitt Romney with her appearance. There she is speaking with CNN's Gloria Borger about her struggle with multiple sclerosis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, MITT ROMNEY'S WIFE: That's the one thing about this disease is that you -- I try to explain to people, too, it's like everyone else has a reserve tank. With MS, you go to empty and you go to empty and you -- that's it. It's like you can't take another step. You will fall over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Want to bring in John Avlon, who is at the convention. CNN contributor, senior political editor at "The Daily Beast" and "Newsweek."

Hey, John, good to see you.

I think a lot of people are looking forward to seeing what she has to say and what kind of picture she paints of her husband. What is the important thing she needs to do tonight?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, she really needs to do two things tonight. First, she needs to give a sense who Mitt Romney is as a person, his family life, in a way that makes him a relatable figure, not just a successful businessman, someone who wants to be president, but a fully rounded human being. That's incredibly important. And he hasn't quite been able to make -- give that impression to the American public yet.

The second piece of her agenda has to be more political. It's -- what she's got to do is help close that gender gap that exists between President Obama and Governor Romney right now and has traditionally existed between the two parties. You know, last cycle, over 10 million -- roughly 10 million more women voted than men. So the gender gap has profound implications in a national race. So she's got to do those two things. That is tie the agenda of the overall campaign even more so than just this specific speech.

MALVEAUX: And, John, let's talk about the gender gap, because we've got polls that are showing President Obama leading Romney 54 to 42 percent among likely women voters. And the poll was taken after Congressman Todd Akin's comments where he talked about legitimate rape, which really caused quite an out roar. You had Romney and Ryan both saying that those were inappropriate comments here. But how much does Ann Romney need to really make up, if you will, for some of these problems that they've had?

AVLON: The gender gap is critical because it's not just a special interest vote. I mean obviously every demographic voter is at least 50 percent women. And, again, women actually turn out at a higher rate than men. So one of the reasons that the Romney camp was so quick to condemn Akin's remarks is they realized the seriousness that those remarks could make in damaging not just Missouri's Senate race, but having national implications. They've wrestled with the gender gap for a long time. But those comments went straight to the heart of the reason that so many women have had -- find it hard to vote GOP, even if they may agree on economic issues. And it wasn't just -- you know, what he said was difficult. The way he said it was awful. Of course, the GOP platform calls on effectively a constitutional ban on abortion. Many of the same policies that were beneath what Akin was saying. So that's the substance of the problem they have. But that's stylistic. That was a stick in the eye. They knew it and they had to shut it down and denounce it quickly because the gender gap has profound implications for the entire election.

MALVEAUX: And, John, real quickly here, any concern that with this Hurricane Isaac, that the eyes, the attention are not actually going to be on Ann Romney tonight?

AVLON: That is a real danger. And it's one of the many balancing acts they've got to take. Balancing, focus and compassion for people who may be in harm's way with getting their message out. It is a major distraction and they're going to need to do both. They know the lessons of Katrina. So Hurricane Isaac is a major factor in this convention for them.

MALVEAUX: All right, John, good to see you, as always.

Be sure to stay with CNN for complete coverage of the Republican National Convention. And we kick it off in primetime with my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, and CNN's political team. That is in Tampa. During the 10:00 hour, we're going to bring you the keynote address from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. That is live. After then, after that, the lights go out. Our Piers Morgan, he's wrapping up the night. That's all here on CNN tonight.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, he is struggling with a serious health threat. We're going to have an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, he is battling for his life. That is according to a source close to his office that tells us he was diagnosed with what was called a serious form of cancer. That was about six weeks ago. It is not his first health battle. He was overcome -- he overcame, rather, a brain tumor and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Arlen Specter served in the U.S. Senate for 31 years. He made headlines in 2009 when he switched parties and became a Democrat. We wish him the very best.

To Georgia now where prosecutors say a group of soldiers at Ft. Stewart planned to overthrow the government. That came out during a murder trial. The soldiers are accused of killing a fellow soldier and his girlfriend because they were afraid the victims would talk about this plot. One of the soldiers made a plea deal with prosecutors and is testifying now against the others.

The family of my former colleague, Kathleen Koch, was hit hard when Katrina hit Mississippi's coast seven years ago. We're going to talk to her about her family's preparations now for Isaac.

And don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Right now Isaac is not packing the speed and power of Hurricane Katrina, but the timing pretty unnerving here. Hurricane Isaac set to hit land late Tuesday, seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina devastated the coast.

As Isaac gains strength, CNN has a team of reporters, producers on the ground along the Gulf Coast, just like we did during Katrina. For me and my colleague, Kathleen Koch, the story is personal. Mississippi is where Kathleen grew up. And some of the homes destroyed belonged to Kathleen and her friends.

As the Gulf Coast braces for Isaac, Kathleen Koch joins us from Washington.

So nice to see again.

KATHLEEN KOCH: Great to see you, neighbor.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEUAX: Tell me about the people you talked to, your family, your friends. How are they doing in Mississippi?

KOCH: Everybody is very nervous, Suzanne. This anniversary, when it rolls around, is always difficult. It's especially tough this year. You know, I heard folks say -- one of the beachfront restaurants that has just re-opened in the last year in my town, one of the few businesses on the beach, she said a lot of locals were hanging out there Sunday night, and they're going, really, really, another hurricane? This is how Mother Nature wishes us happy anniversary, huh?

MALVEAUX: It's a cruel irony when you think about it.

KOCH: It is.

MALVEAUX: It's obviously still emotional to you.

KOCH: Oh, very.

MALVEAUX: Can you tell us -- what has the community done since Katrina? Do you think they are now ready mentally or physically ready for what they're going to be hit with next?

KOCH: Well, I'll tell you what, Suzanne, people have changed mentally and emotionally because of Katrina. It wasn't just the landscape that was really devastated. Pre-Katrina, if a hurricane of this size was heading toward my town, people would go, forget about it. If it's anything less than a 4, you know, wake me up when it's over. But people are just -- they're so much more vulnerable now. They've lost so much. I mean, Mississippi, as you know, caught the physical brunt of the hurricane. 95 percent of my hometown was under water. 75 percent of the homes and businesses heavily damaged or destroyed. You just saw a couple shots from the balcony of 200 North Beach restaurants. So much has been rebuilt. People are coming back. This is the last thing we need.

MALVEAUX: Are they actually heeding the warnings? Are they hunkering down? Are they evacuating? Are they doing what people say is the safe thing to do? Or do they feel like, you know what, we're just going to do it our way?

KOCH: Suzanne, they're heeding the warnings and they're getting out. People are evacuating for this category 1 who I've never seen evacuate for anything less than a category 3 before. And not just elderly parents, friends of mine. They're putting their furniture up on cement blocks. People on the -- as the "Weather Channel" calls it, that landmass between New Orleans and Mobile, are taking this seriously.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we know they're taking it seriously.

Kathleen, as always, it is wonderful to see you. Keep us posted on how things are going in your hometown. We really appreciate it. And, of course, we'll be checking in with you a little bit later.

Thank you, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

MALVEAUX: When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast seven years ago this week, Mississippi got hit with severe flooding. Hundreds lost their lives. Today, many have rebuilt along the coast, stronger, better. We're going to take a look at what some are doing to now get ready for Isaac.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Isaac is now a category-1 hurricane. A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been announced in Harrison County, Mississippi. That's in the Gulfport area.

David Mattingly is there.

I want to share with you and our viewers, the president has now declared a state of emergency in the state of Mississippi, which means they'll be getting federal funds, whatever they need, to address the hurricane that's approaches them.

Are people confident here that they have what they need, that they are ready?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the years since Katrina, there's been a very slow and very determined rebuilding process. There have been some very rigorous building codes that have been put into place, demanded by the residents as well as by insurance companies. And as a result, we're seeing structures that have gone back into place that are, instead of being built with wood, they're being built with cement and steel. Built to withstand hurricanes like the one we're seeing coming. But, of course, people here will tell you there's no such thing as a hurricane-proof building anywhere. So they're paying attention to this storm. They're making sure that they're doing the right things to prepare for it. But right now, structurally, and with their infrastructure here, they believe they're in much better shape to greet this storm than they were when Katrina came through all those years ago.

MALVEAUX: David, what are you finding now so far in terms of the weather and where people are going? Have they stopped? I can see there's traffic behind you there, clearly people are still on the move before this arrives.

MATTINGLY: That's right. We really haven't seen any serious weather yet. Right now it's just been the bands coming through. Occasionally, we'll have some driving rain followed by sunshine, followed by wind and misting rain kind of like what we're having now. Some of the schools are out in the area, so people took advantage of that to come down to the beach here to get one last look at the beach to look at the unusual high tide that we're seeing this afternoon. So everybody making their plans to either hunker down or to leave. They know exactly what they believe is coming here, and they're preparing as best as that they think is at least best in their own personal situations.

MALVEAUX: And, David, last question here, very quickly. That road behind you, obviously there is water. I'm assuming that that road will be closed, that that's going to be a blocked of area?

MATTINGLY: We have a small seawall just behind this road that leads on to the beach. Now, when the storm surge comes in, it will very likely cover the beach here. It may come over the top of the seawall at some of the higher projections. And if that's the case, it would come on to the eastbound lanes of the highway here. This road was torn apart by Katrina. We're not going to see anything like that happening here. But some parts of it, we could see water encroaching upon it and creating a traffic hazard.

MALVEAUX: OK. David, thank you. Appreciate it.

We're going to have more on the storm. But obviously, President Obama declaring a state of emergency in the state of Mississippi.

More on Hurricane Isaac after the break.

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POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, everyone. Today on the "Help Desk" we're talking about the best way to build up your credit.

Joining me, Donna Rosato and Ryan Mack.

Donna, take a listen to this question that came in for you.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to get credit and I don't have any. I need to know what are my best options to establish credit.

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HARLOW: He's a fairly young guy. He's got time. What would you say he should do?

DONNA ROSATO, FINANCIAL PLANNER: It's a frustrating catch 22. You need to have credit to get a loan, but you need a loan to get credit. So it's frustrating especially for young folks. But there are options. A good way to start is to get a secured credit card. It's similar to a regular credit card and counts toward your credit store. Instead of a bank lending you a line of credit, you're actually putting up the collateral yourself. Typically you need several hundred dollars. $200 or $300 use it and draw down your own money. If you use it responsibly, paying it of in every month, you can apply for a traditional credit card. Also, retail cards are easier to qualify for, like a store card. So that's a good option, too. But those have very high interest rates. Use them, pay them off.

HARLOW: Pay it right away.

RYAN MACK, FINANCIAL PLANNER: A lot of the prepaid debit cards and other financial creditors out there are coming out because a lot of individuals have not established credit. One of the best defenses in financial creditors, just establishing credit and making sure you're starting to build responsible things today, starting right now.

HARLOW: Early on.

Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

If you have a question you want our experts to tackle, just upload a 30-second video with your question to ireport.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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MALVEAUX: Keeping an eye on two big stories we're following. First, of course, Hurricane Isaac, now a category-1 hurricane. You're looking at live pictures there out of New Orleans. People bracing for this fierce storm. 41 parishes at least under emergency declarations, expecting tropical-force winds up to 36 hours in that area. Also, Mississippi declared a state of emergency.

Taking a look as well at the Republican National Convention. That is starting at the top of the next hour at the top of the next hour. The marquee players, the big speakers, we're talking about Ann Romney who will be speaking at the national convention, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, both speaking, addressing that audience.

We just got a quick glimpse actually of Ron Paul who is on the convention floor -- yet to give up his delegates. The Libertarians certainly getting a little bit of play and attention there on the convention floor. Bringing both of those stories as we go on throughout the day. We'll have more of that after a quick break.

But what could be better than a summer vacation at Yosemite National Park? We'll tell you what went wrong for a few visitors and why park officials are tracking down some guests.

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MALVEAUX: A fourth person who visited Yosemite Park is believed to have contracted hanta virus. Two of them have died from this illness. This is a rare lung disease. About one-third of those infected. Park officials are contacting everybody who stayed in the Curry Village tent cabins since mid June. They're urging them to see a doctor if they have any symptoms, including fever, achy muscles and fatigue. The virus is carried by mice and rats and can live on their droppings, urine and saliva. People can become infected just by breathing air near that virus.

Health care a big issue at the Republican convention under way in Tampa. Mitt Romney said he will repeal Obama-care if elected. Tonight, Governor Romney's wife, Ann Romney, will address the convention. She's a breast cancer survivor and she has multiple sclerosis. Under Obama-care, insurance companies have to insure people like her with preexisting health conditions.

I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen, who joins us from New York, to talk a little bit about this, how this might impact her and others if the law is repealed?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. If Governor Romney is elected, he's made it clear that he would repeal Obama-care, which means no more guaranteed insurance for people with preexisting conditions. Instead, Mr. Romney says that he will allow for, or make sure that people who have had continuous coverage in the past that they will get affordable insurance.

Let's hear what he's had to say about this.

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MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's say someone has been continuously insured and develop a serious condition and say they lose their job or change jobs. They move and go to a new place. I don't want them to be denied insurance because they've got some preexisting condition. We have to make sure the law with replace Obama-care with assures that people who have a preexisting condition, who have been insured in the past are able to get insurance in the future.

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COHEN: A Romney spokeswoman said this applies to children as well. If a child, like with diabetes, is applying for insurance, they will have had to had continuous coverage in the past in order to be guaranteed insurance at that time. MALVEAUX: Elizabeth, tell us what Mitt Romney means when he says continuous coverage.

COHEN: We asked that question and we didn't get an answer, Suzanne. We don't know. We don't know if you've had to have it for the past year, five years or 10 years, we don't know.

MALVEAUX: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for following that. Obviously, the difference between the Obama care and the Romney plan when it comes to health care.

For more on Mitt Romney's plan, go to CNN.com/empowered patient. Elizabeth will be back with us tomorrow. She'll look at Romney's proposal for seniors on Medicare who rely on prescription drug discounts, also young adults on their parent's insurance plans.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this live from Tampa, Florida.

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